


Carpe Diem

by jongnugget



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Anal Sex, Fantasy, M/M, Romance, Sex, Sexual Content, Smut, Supernatural Elements, Witchcraft, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-15
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2019-02-15 06:59:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13025703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jongnugget/pseuds/jongnugget
Summary: In a world of lies, he was the only real thing.





	Carpe Diem

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't seen a KaiSoo fic before based on the Salem witch trials, so I decided I might as well write one~
> 
> I just came up with this stupid idea while watching a movie, so bear with me for being an idiot. Naturally, this is a work of fiction so not all historical facts are accurate. Things are exaggerated. 
> 
> Set in the late 1600s when witch trials were a thing and homosexuality was a big no-no unless you wanted to be sentenced to death.
> 
> Rated M for sexual/mature content.
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy it!

**_-Final-_ **

 

It was a small town.

An awfully small one, in Jongin’s humble opinion.

In days like this, he wished he was somewhere else. Somewhere away from the horrors of the village and the reality around them. Away from all the accusing glares and pointy fingers, away from all the distrust and hysteria. Away from the foolish beliefs of people who had not seen any other part of the world.

Sometimes he also wished he hadn’t been born a son in a family of one of the founders of the town. He wished he hadn’t been born with his name and high position. Had he been someone else he surely wouldn’t have been dragged into the life he had to lead.

Surely, he could have chosen another path for himself.

He had a name to uphold, though, and he also had an awful lot of people looking up to him and trusting him to protect them.

But no matter how hard Jongin was trying to convince himself that this was all for the greater good of their small town, for the wellbeing and safety of their people, nothing made days like this feel any less dull and tragic.

Nothing would make them seem less irrational and absurd.

It was only him against the rest of the founding families. And no matter how strong a force was, it couldn’t sway a mountain.

So no matter how hard he had tried reasoning against this ludicrousness in the past, nothing could have changed the fact that it was expected of him to stay at the front of the crowd on that dreaded day with the rest of the selectmen and the Gubernator of the town next to him.

Nothing could have changed the fact that he had to watch as that young woman was dragged in front of all the townspeople who had gathered to badmouth her and curse her.

He had to stand there and watch her get securely tied to the wooden pillar despite her screams and cries of protest. Her pleads.

“Witch, you have been tried and convicted under the benevolent will of God. You are a consort of Satan and shall burn at the stake.”

Jongin had to stand there and listen to the minister chanting passages from the Bible.

Listen to the people’s screams and insults get louder and fiercer by the second.

“Repent now and God may have mercy on your soul.” the minister’s words were loud, sounding clear over the crowd’s barbaric screams. “Bring the flames!”

Nothing, absolutely nothing could have changed the fact that he had to stand there without moving an inch, expected to live up to the expectations set for him from his birth, expected to follow his late father’s will and to carry on protecting this town. That he had to just stand there and witness this madness.

When the flames of the torch touched the hay and spread, and the pleading wails turned into blood curling shrieks, all Jongin could do was turn his eyes away and not watch.

* * *

“Good day, Mr. Kim!” the man behind the counter smirked. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”

Jongin just approached the closest free chair and sat down, before giving his friend a look.

“Cut the crap, Jongdae.” His voice was a bit rough, but he couldn’t help it. The smell of burning flesh was going to haunt him for days. “Give me a drink. Something strong.”

“There was an execution today, wasn’t there?” Jongdae mumbled behind the bar of the town’s tavern. “Explains why I barely had any customers today.”

“The people in this town are savages.”

“They just believe in anything they’re told. I guess it is a way to cope with their miserable lives.”

“Then how come weren’t you at the square?”

“That would imply I consider my life miserable.” Jongdae just gave him a little smirk, before sliding the glass towards him. “You can’t always drink your problems away, Jongin. You do this after every burning.”

“I am _not_ drinking my problems away. I am not a drunkard.”

The owner of the tavern just shrugged, looking at him with slightly raised eyebrows.

“Not yet. It’s a matter of time before you become one, if the witch hunts continue.”

Jongin didn’t reply to that.

The truth in the statement was somehow revolting.

It didn’t, however, stop him from tipping the glass back and letting the burning liquor slide down his throat, erasing some of the doubts. Giving him a bit of confidence that this was, despite everything he was feeling, the right thing to do.

* * *

Jongin enjoyed walking away from the town when he could. Walking all the way up to the woods. But never farther.

He knew there were dangerous things in the woods. It wasn’t a place many would set foot in alone. Even he didn’t dare enter them by himself.

He would walk up to the hills though, then turn around and head back to the town’s center.

It wasn’t always bad. In fact, their town was quite peaceful usually.

Usually meaning when there weren’t any ongoing trials and executions.

It was on one of these quiet days that Jongin was walking up the hill, passing the valley and the muddy roads leading out of town. Fingers thoughtlessly picking at a flower he’d picked along the way.

There wasn’t anything in particular on his mind. Just the usual thoughts of leaving this place. Going back to the bigger cities. Where life was different. Where people were free.

However, at this point this seemed merely like a dream. Because this was Jongin’s home. He had no other place to go to.

He slowed down his pace when he looked up. The endlessly green hills, the high trees and the blue calm sky.

And a little figure in the near distance, standing under a tree. Clad in a black cloak with hands stretched up, trying to bring down the tree’s branches.

Jongin smirked a little when he approached the apple tree.

When he walked soundlessly to the man who was still facing the forest, struggling to reach the higher branches with the red apples.

Jongin stretched his hand out when he was near enough, grabbing the branch and pulling it down. Low enough for the man in front of him to suddenly reach the apples. For the man in front of him to turn around in his place, surprise written all over his features.

“Mr. Kim,” he spoke after blinking quickly a few times. “You surprised me.”

“Hello, Kyungsoo.” Jongin looked at the man in front of himself before pulling the branch as low as he could. “A good day for a walk?”

“One of the best so far in this year, Mr. Kim.”

The man in front of him gave him a small smile before reaching out to pull the few apples hanging from that branch, putting them down in a basket Jongin hadn’t noticed earlier. It was already filled with big, red apples.

When he was done pulling even the last apple on the branch, Jongin let go of the tree, bringing his hand behind his back.

“One would think there wouldn’t be any apples left, if they’re looking this good. I’m surprised no one else has raided the trees before you did.”

“The town’s people are afraid to approach the woods, Mr. Kim.” Kyungsoo smiled at him, picking up his basket. “I am not complaining though. I get to collect the fruit and bring it back to the kids in the orphanage.”

Jongin just nodded.

Kyungsoo wasn’t the owner of the orphanage but Jongin did hear from Minseok that he frequently visited it with gifts and food for the children. A very kind and warm gesture in the cold reality surrounding them, Jongin had to admit that.

Their town, compared to some other places in the South, had been doing well. The poverty wasn’t that big of an issue yet, although it was becoming worse with the corps dying and diseases spreading among the animals. It was a problem, that was gradually becoming bigger, much to the selectmen’s disdain.

A problem that was slowly resulting in the orphanage having to take more kids in. And with the food supplies constantly dropping, Jongin had learned to respect the people like Kyungsoo who were trying to help.

He hadn’t known much about Do Kyungsoo when he had moved to their town two winters ago. Hell, he didn’t even know much about him now but he had learned that he was a pretty respectable man with the soft features of a boy and the heart a size of a child’s. He would often see him on the town’s dusty streets, kneeling down to hand bread to the starving, to give a coin to the begging.

When Jongin had once mentioned that Do Kyungsoo was doing better at doing the selectmen’s job than the selectmen themselves, he had gotten an earful from the rest of the founding families. He had heard harsh words about the older man with the childish face – he had been called an outsider, he had been called a freak. He had been badmouthed for coming to their town when the town already had enough to deal with.

But when the horrors of the witch hunts began, when the news from the North came and the hysteria hit the people, when they started blaming witches for the corps welting, for the animals dying, for the drought and for the miseries happening around them, everyone from the council seemed to momentarily forget about the newcomers in the town and focused on trying to bring order and peace to the town by raining justice on everyone who seemed even remotely guilty.

That’s when the witch hunts in the South began and everything as Jongin knew it had changed.

“You’re headed back to town then, I’m assuming?”

“Correct.” Kyungsoo smiled at him again and whenever he did that Jongin found it hard to believe that the man was actually older than him.

“Mind some company?”

“Not if it’s you, Mr. Kim.”

Jongin took that as a permission to start walking alongside the shorter man down the roads back to the town’s square and market.

“How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?”

“At least one more time, as always.”

It wasn’t a long way to walk back to the town, but even in those few minutes they found themselves casually talking about the town. Jongin always found it entertaining to talk to Kyungsoo. He wasn’t like most men in the town who only cared about women and drinking. He was actually intelligent, and even though Jongin didn’t know what family he had been raised in at the North, it was apparent he was from a wealthy family.

At least judging by his clean robes and the always seemingly full satchel of coins. Judging by the clean house whenever Jongin passed by and judging by the fact that Kyungsoo did have a servant – a luxury not many could brag with these days. Judging by the fact that Kyungsoo was one of the few who could read and by the looks of it enjoyed doing so.

It was like taking a breath of fresh air in these dull days, having an intelligent conversation with someone about something other than business and searching parties.

“I hear there was another execution last week,” Kyungsoo casually said and Jongin instinctively felt his jaw tightening. He threw a quick look at the shorter man, who had briefly stopped to take an apple out of his basket and hand to the little kid running down the street past him. Then he straightened up again and looked at Jongin. “Had I known two years ago that this madness would spread to the South then I wouldn’t have been so fast to move here.”

“You could have moved back to the North, then, no?”

“What’s the point in moving back there, when it’s no better than here.” Kyungsoo said it with a small smile that quickly faltered at the sight of Jongin’s grim face. “I’m sorry, Mr. Kim. I didn’t mean it like that. I know you work hard to keep this town stable.”

“It’s quite alright, Kyungsoo,” Jongin could only smile bitterly, walking down the street with the shorter man beside him. He didn’t know him well enough to share his thoughts with him, to tell him he didn’t support this either. However, he did know him well enough to continue the conversation on the lighter side. “I don’t know if I’m doing a good job at keeping this town stable, but I have no choice but to keep trying my best. We need more people to be as helpful and open minded as you are.”

Do Kyungsoo just smiled at him, as they entered the bigger streets of the town. Jongin was nodding at the town’s people who were greeting him and Kyungsoo, when they were passing. Kyungsoo was smiling sweetly at everyone.

“Hey!” Jongin turned around just in time to see another short man with brown hair running up to them, breath heavy as he reached them and finally straightened up. “Mr. Kim! I wasn’t expecting to see you here today.”

“What are the odds of seeing me in my own town, Baekhyun?” Jongin’s smile was small and teasing when he looked at Kyungsoo’s servant. Baekhyun leaned down to take the basket from Kyungsoo’s hands, looking back at him from under his eyelashes.

“I meant the council meeting, sir. If I remember correctly Lady Jung mentioned it earlier.”

Jongin would have liked to think that he looked composed when the memory of them actually discussing the council meeting resurfaced in his mind. He would have liked to think that it wasn’t written all over his expression that he had, in fact, forgotten about it.

Judging by the barely concealed smile on Do Kyungsoo’s lips and the still raised eyebrows of his serant, Jongin supposed he was quite transparent.

“Right.” He said quietly, clearing his throat. “Well, I guess I will have to take my leave now, then.”

“Yes, don’t let me keep you any longer, Mr. Kim.”

He almost turned back to remind that it wasn’t ‘ _Mister Kim’_ , but just _‘Jongin’_.

However, he was already thinking about the displeased look of Yifan and the cheeky smirk of Chanyeol when he were to walk into the council hall this late. It gave him motivation to walk towards the town’s square even faster. Oh, he was in so much trouble.

* * *

The council meeting had been dull and heavy, just like every time Yifan called the founders and the selectmen together. Much to Jongin’s dislike, there had been another accusation.

Another woman accused of witchcraft.

Jongin did believe in the existence of supernatural forces. Of a God, maybe of a Satan as well. And if all that existed, then he was also prone to believe that witches might have been walking around their world as well.

What he didn’t believe in was the ease of pointing your finger at someone, calling them a witch. The ease of accepting these rootless accusations.

And whenever the Reverend brought out his old books and scrolls, reading out symptoms and signs to look for, whenever the council would gather around the accused and make everything connect in sometimes seemingly absurd ways, Jongin couldn’t help but feel tired by it all.

Because he believed most of the times it was just coincidences. Coincidences, that have already cost so many women their lives. Many of these women, in Jongin’s opinion, absolutely harmless and innocent in the first place.

So no, he wasn’t excited on this once again dull and dark day to put that gun on his back and to follow the Magistrate out on the square. He wasn’t happy to meet up there with the little group of men that had gathered – the head of the selectmen, the magistrate, the reverend and a few more men from the founding families.

And no matter how hard Jongin had tried defending some of these women when it was apparent that they were innocent, no matter how hard he had tried convincing the reverend and the rest of these men that the little mark the physician had found on that woman’s body was just a scar and not a witch mark, or that the puppet found inside that other woman’s house was just a doll and not a witch tool, no one would listen to him. In their eyes, that was proof enough to tie someone to the wooden pole and burn them alive. As long as it was giving a false sense of safety to the rest of the town’s people, then it was fine.

Not to Jongin though. He could never sleep after a day like that.

And the worst part was that at some point he had been almost forced to stop defending these innocents. Because at some point someone had asked why he was so against it. Implying he had something to do with everything happening. Implying that maybe he was in on something.

Yifan had immediately shut down these accusations, reminding that Jongin was from the founding families and a respected member of the council.

_Words_ , Jongin always thought to himself, _words were a powerful tool_. The deadliest weapon and the safest defense one could get in these times, if spoken by the right person.

But in the end of the day, words were just words. Empty.

* * *

Jongin found himself wandering the streets of the town more often with every passing moon.

Eyes taking in the state of the town and its people. It seemed like everything was becoming darker with every passing day. People were scared, parents hiding their daughters in fear that someone would point a finger at them and utter that one dreaded word.

There was, however, this one ray of light that never changed, despite the hardships most seemed to be going through.

Do Kyungsoo was always there, spreading warmth and comforting smiles. He was trying to help out as many as he could, he had even made it to a few of the council meetings over the past few moons, offering financial aid in the import of goods from other towns with better food resources than them. Jongin had bitterly noted that the hypocrites on the council who had ones badmouthed him were now the first ones to accept his offer as a gracious doing.

“You do seem to be coming by quite often,” Jongin said when he saw the man escaping the building in front of him. The black robe was replaced by a heavier emerald one with dark black strings. Do Kyungsoo looked up, cheeks a bit red from the stinging wind.

“The orphanage is one of the few places that feel bright, despite everything happening around us.”

“An odd thing to say, given that it’s an orphanage.”

Jongin waited for the shorter man to get out on the street before he continued walking down the way with him.

“Children are children, no matter what. Their hearts are pure and they see the brighter side of everything.” Kyungsoo explained quickly, almost nonchalantly. “Maybe you should come with me sometime, Jongin. Then you’ll understand why I visit so often.”

“Maybe I should.” the younger man answered, a small smile making its way to his lips at the slow realization that for the first time he had been called by his first name by the older man with the soft features.

* * *

It wasn’t until another few moons had passed that Jongin had to deal with another trial.

And everything had been going so well. The town had been doing a bit better, there were signs of hope when it even rained a few times. However, everything crumbled again when the finger was pointed at another young lady.

Jongin had realized in horror when he had stepped into the court room of the magister that it wasn’t just any woman. It was Seulgi.

“Be reasonable, Chanyeol,” Jongin had said this day in hushed whispers to the magister. “Me and you, we’ve both known Seulgi since she was a child. We grew up together! We can’t do this to her.”

“There’s nothing I can do about it, Jongin. The best way is to have her examined. If she is clean then of course we will release her.”

Jongin knew, however, that once the people of the town knew they just wouldn’t let it slide so easily. He found himself shaking in anger the day after the examination. When Lay escaped the room and explained that there were absolutely no marks on the girl’s body to be suspicious of. The momentary sigh of relief had been replaced by a halt in his breath when the head of the council had announced that they would keep her imprisoned and find a way to make her speak the truth.

On the very next day, Jongin heard a loud commotion as soona s he got out on the town’s square. Everyone was either rushing to the docks or talking about them.

His heart tightened a little in his chest as he heard the words ‘witch’, ‘trial’ and ‘truth’ being spoken in the same sentence. He didn’t even realize he had started running until he had already reached the dock, repulsed at the sight of the huge crowd that had gathered.

“Move it!” he was pushing his way through the men and women gathered around to watch.

And he wished he hadn’t. The girl was being pushed under the water. Only let out for a few brief moments to take a breath and be given an opportunity to answer the questions.

“Admit to your sins!” the reverend’s voice was somehow quiet and unwilling. Jongin couldn’t help but look at Suho in disappointment.

Seulgi was choking on the water and he was pretty sure there were tears streaming down her face.

“I’m not a witch!” she cried.

And then she would be forcefully pushed back under the water. Jongin let out a broken breath, pushing his way forward.

“What are you doing?!” he beckoned as soon as he reached the dock where a few of the selectmen were standing. Suho looked at him, then back to Yifan and Chanyeol. “We had not agreed on this! You said you’d keep her in the prison, you didn’t say you’d be doing this!”

“The people were demanding action, Jongin.” Chanyeol leaned down to say, but Jongin just pushed him back.

“I don’t fucking _care_ what the people were demanding. We did _not_ agree on this.”

He walked into the water, shallow water reaching his ankles first. Then his knees. Waist and chest. It was freezing, but he didn’t stop until he reached the big man who was still holding Seulgi by the ropes.

“Let go!”

“But, sir, the council said-“

“I said, let go. This is an order.”

When he did, the girl emerged from the water, all trembling. She was choking back on the water, the sobs quiet.

Jongin pulled her closer, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He turned to stare back at the selectmen first, then at the crowd that had gathered. He didn’t try to contain the hatred in his eyes.

“Is this how far you will all go?!” his voice was louder than he thought it would have been when he spoke. There was anger bubbling in his entire being. “Even though they found nothing, you just wouldn’t stop, would you? How many more people do you want to see die?!”

“Jongin, this is not your-“

“Not my what?!” Jongin turned to glare at the head of the council. Yifan’s face was emotionless. Maybe a bit panicked as he looked around the crowd surrounding them and witnessing this. “Last time I checked I was from the three founding families and an original member of the council. My words are to be respected and my orders are to be followed. And I’m saying now, this girl here is innocent. You got your examination and it proved it.”

Jongin looked down for a brief second when Seulgi dug her face in his shoulder, the sobs only getting louder. There were people in the crowd nodding approvingly. Then there were ones screaming back at him. Words Jongin chose to ignore as he started leading Seulgi out of the water.

“We’ll discuss this later.”

“We’ll discuss nothing, Yifan.” Jongin threw another look at him. “I can vouch for her. If anyone lays a finger on her again they’ll have to deal with me.”

Jongin helped get her out of the freezing water. He shook his head when a few from his men covered him in a warm robe, instead passing it on to the shaking girl. He watched as Suho slowly closed his bible, a peaceful expression on his face. As Yifan just stood there, watching. As Chanyeol finally snapped out of his trance and started telling the people to go away. Telling them there was nothing to see. Barking angry threats at the ones who were still spewing poisonous words.

“Are you alright?” Jongin asked , hands resting on Seulgi’s shoulders. She was still shaking when she nodded. “Good. You must be freezing, let me take you home-“

“No!” she looked up with eyes widened in fear. “No, I can’t go home. They will find me there. T-they will keep attacking me, I can’t-…”

“Shh.” Jongin just shushed her, pulling her face back down on his shoulder for her to cry on.

He looked around with heavy eyes, ebfore finally breathing out.

* * *

Jongin had known that Kyungsoo would help him when no one else would. The shorter man didn’t hesitate once before telling Baekhyun to prepare a warm bathtub for Seulgi and to show her to an empty bedroom in his house.

Jongin had finally let go of his childhood friend when he knew she was finally safe from other people’s malicious actions and words.

Kyungsoo was silently pouring some tea for him after he had changed and joined him back down in front of the warm fireplace. It was a large house and it was Jongin’s first time stepping inside of it.

He was drawn out of his thoughts when Kyungsoo sighed out and sat down in the couch in front of him by the fireplace.

“That was a very stupid thing you did there,” the shorter man supplied. “Very brave and honorable, yes, but stupid.”

“I couldn’t just let them torture her like this. She is innocent. And they wouldn’t let her go until she admitted to being something she is not.”

“I understand that, Jongin, but you can’t do this for everyone they capture from now on.” Kyungsoo shook his head. The fire was throwing interesting shades on his face. It looked darker and duller than anything Jongin had ever seen on that usually bright face.  “And most importantly, doing that in front of all the town people will give them reason to point fingers at you and accuse you of soundless things.”

“I know that.”

There was silence for a few moments and Jongin could only stare at the cracking wood in the fireplace and the dark, dancing shadows it was casting on the floor.

“Are you sure you can keep her safe in here?” he ended up asking. “I know it’s too much to ask for, but-“

“Don’t worry about that. I won’t let anybody harm her.” Kyungsoo smiled, the brighter expression finally sneaking back onto his features. “Excuse me for the question, Jongin, but are you and her perhaps…?”

“No, oh God, no.” the younger one replied quickly at the implied question. “Seulgi is a friend I have known since I was a child. We grew up together. She’s like a sister to me.”

“I see.”

Jongin was grateful when they changed the subject. When Kyungsoo explained that he had called in a favor and he’d gotten tangerines from the trading ships for the kids in the orphanage. That Minseok, the man running the place, had been more than excited. When Kyungsoo’s big doe eyes started shining with a different sort of amusement when he was speaking about this.

However, there was a certain darkness in Jongin’s heart that day that he couldn’t get rid of. And Kyungsoo must have noticed it too because after a few tries, the excitement in his voice slowly disappeared and the look in his eyes was replaced by something akin to worry.

They just sat there in silence, drinking their warm tea in this cold winter day.

Jongin was praying for this madness to end.

* * *

Jongin couldn’t say he hadn’t been expecting the judging looks of the people from that day on for the next weeks. It was almost laughable when he was turning around to see all the commoners halting their whispers and giving him measured glances.

He didn’t mind any of that, though. As long as he knew he had done something right.

As expected, he had gotten a lot of criticism from the selectmen as well. He had stood his ground, though, repeating that they didn’t have to kill every accused just to please and calm the mass of people.

The only people who seemed to openly support him were Kyungsoo and Jongdae.

Meaning in the following weeks Jongin was either to be found in the town’s tavern or strolling around the streets and up to the woods with Kyungsoo under the judging glances of the town’s people.

“Have you ever entered the woods?” Kyungsoo asked him on that cold day, footsteps leaving shallow prints in the snow that had stuck overnight.

“No.” Jongin shook his head, following the shorter man’s eyes towards the high trees and the darkness beyond. “They say it’s dangerous out there. We don’t know what hides within that darkness.”

“Dangerous? What do you think hides in there?”

“I don’t know. Beasts. Wolves. Some of the hunters say they’ve never seen animals this big. Some say there are even more dangerous things out there.” he shook his head, throwing a look towards Kyungsoo. The interested twinkle in his eyes as he was looking at the forest caused Jongin’s lips to twitch into a slight frown. “It is no place to be fascinated by, Kyungsoo. You shouldn’t go in there.”

“I had no such thoughts.”

The shorter man looked up with a small smile, the dark robe contrasting against his fair skin and the white snow.

Jongin’s eyes lingered on him for a couple seconds before he nodded.

* * *

The spring was coming quickly and Jongin had been more than ecstatic when he went over the paperwork and realized there hadn’t been any cases in five moons. The rains were more frequent and the people were praising God and the skies.

People weren’t looking at him with distrust in their eyes anymore.

They weren’t cussing or throwing things at Seulgi whenever she walked around the city with Kyungsoo and Baekhyun on her sides.

Things were changing, slowly, but this craze was eventually going to fade.

“Jongin!”

He turned in his spot, a small smile making its way to his lips when he identified the voice before even seeing the face. Kyungsoo was rushing through the market street, a seemingly heavy basket hanging from his elbow when he approached him. The robe he was wearing today was the darkest hue of blue Jongin had ever seen, velvety.

“Jongin, I had been looking for you all day!”

“You were? Why?”

“I wanted to invite you for dinner tonight,” Kyungsoo straightened up. “Seulgi wanted to meet up some of her friends, but mind you I’m still not feeling quite safe letting her out by herself, so the girls will come by my house tonight. I decided I might as well invite a friend of mine as well because…well, let’s just say I didn’t think I’d be comfortable with all these young ladies around me catching up.”

Jongin let out a quiet chuckle, imagining the quiet Kyungsoo sitting broodingly in the corner, surrounded by the young girls and his lively servant. That would have been a sight.

“That’s most kind of you, Kyungsoo.” Jongin ended up smiling. “I’ll be there.”

His eyes shifted down to the basket that Kyungsoo kept fidgeting with. He looked around for a second.

“Baekhyun isn’t with you?”

“He’s already at home preparing for tonight.” Kyungsoo explained hurriedly. “I just decided to come by the market by myself.”

The younger nodded thoughtfully. Kyungsoo in front of him raised the basket on his other’s hand elbow, a little frown tugging at the corner of his lips. Jongin couldn’t help himself but lean down and wrap his fingers around the handle of the basket.

“Let me help you with that.”

Kyungsoo looked up with widened eyes. His hand flew up to catch the handle with Jongin, pulling at it lightly.

“You don’t have to!”

Jongin stopped moving for a moment there because when Kyungsoo’s fingers brushed against his, he felt electricity running through his body. It was a momentary shock, before his fingers tightened around the basket’s handle. The shorter man withdrew his hands hesitantly. Jongin just smiled.

“So have you invited anyone else over yet? Or am I the first one to get an invitation?”

Kyunsoo’s chuckle was low and eerie when he started walking next to him.

“You’re the _only_ one to get an invitation. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I don’t really seem to be getting along very well with most people in town.”

Jongin’s heart hurt a little at the words, tongue running over his dry lips. He nodded.

“I was thinking about inviting Minseok as well, but he can’t just leave all the kids alone.”

“I see.”

They continued walking quietly down the street towards Kyungsoo’s house. Conversation flowing nicely, until they reached the front door and Jongin handed the basket back to Kyungsoo.

“I will see you tonight, then?”

Kyungsoo’s hands wrapped around the basket and he gave him a small nod, followed by a smile.

“Until tonight.”

* * *

Jongin always found it entertaining how Baekhyun was more of a brother to Kyungsoo.

He was the first servant he had ever seen who had the privilege to sit down on the dinner table with his master and his guests to eat together as equals. He was the first servant he had ever seen who was taking part in all conversations without being scolded or sent away. The first servant he had ever seen who would sarcastically or ironically speak back to his master without getting punished.

Kyungsoo would instead just laugh and brush it off as yet another of Baekhyun’s many jokes.

Jongin admired him for that. The short man, who seemed to not care about status and wealth, who only seemed to care about the little bubble of happiness he had made for himself in this dark place.

Do Kyungsoo didn’t seem to care about anything happening outside his home’s doors, living in the peaceful and loving environment he had here. It wasn’t much, but much wasn’t needed for one to be happy.

Jongin realized he had started spending more time with the man than with his fellow selectmen. More time in his house than the council hall and time square. More time talking to him than worrying about the business of the town.

“You want to go down to the river?” Kyungsoo’s eyebrows knitted in worry for the first time this evening when Seulgi came up to him with her friends. The girls seemed giddy. “Why?”

“The ocean’s tide, Mr. Do!” the blond girl excitedly yelped. “The waters are now faster than ever. We can build boats and let them down the stream.”

Jongin smiled at the eagerness of the girls. Building toy boats and playing with them. He used to do that when he was younger too. Before he was almost forcefully dragged into the higher positions. Before he had to take care of others before himself.

“I don’t know, Seulgi, it’s already past sunset.”

“I won’t be alone, Kyungsoo,” the girl pleaded with an almost begging twinkle in her eyes. “My friends are with me!”

Jongin pursed his lips as he watched Kyungsoo give each of the four girls standing behind Seulgi a look. Then his eyes drifted to the other corner of the room.

“Baekhyun!” he called quietly. “Go with the girls. Don’t leave them out of your sight.”

“Yes, Kyungsoo.”

“When they’re done playing by the river send each of them back to their doorstep before bringing Seulgi home, alright?”

“Would have done it even without the instructions,” Baekhyun cheekily smiled and Jongin watched as Seulgi jumped on Kyungsoo and wrapped two excited arms around him for mere seconds before pulling away. Kyungsoo just warmly smiled at her.

“Thank you!”

“Have fun, kid.”

Jongin was looking as the girls excitedly followed after Baekhyun out of the house, leaving him and Kyungsoo alone sitting by the warm fireplace in the large room.

“You sure have gotten close to her.”

“With all due respect, she has lived in my home for almost half an year, Jongin.” Kyungsoo just smiled, looking at the fire. “She helps Baekhyun around with the chores. She sometimes comes with me down to the market.”

Jongin observed as the small smile on Kyungsoo’s face faltered a little and he shook his head.

“She’s a good kid. It’s tragic to think she was ever accused for something so vicious.” Kyungsoo’s eyes dug in him when he looked up. “No one ever told me how that happened. Why she was accused of witchcraft in the first place.”

Jongin breathed out, sinking back in the chair.

“Seulgi just happened to be the only woman in the armory when an accident happened and the goldsmith hurt himself. They said he’d been doing this for years and it was the first time he ever hurt himself like this. They were too fast to point fingers.”

“That’s it?” Kyungsoo’s eyebrows were raised up on his forehead when he looked at Jongin. “Now, I’m not really interested in this sort of business but I think that’s not enough to accuse someone for being a witch, no?”

“Try explaining that to the council.” Jongin breathed out, closing his eyes for a few moments. He was glad he had not had to deal with this sort of funny business in a while.

It hadn’t ended, he knew that. He was reading al the reports from the North and the situation there seemed to only be becoming worse, but at least in their town it had been quiet for a little while.

“How does the council know if someone is actually guilty of the accusations?” Kyungsoo’s voice was wary and quiet. “How do you know someone’s a witch?”

“For someone who isn’t interested you sure do have a lot of questions.”

“Excuse me for my boldness, it is but mere curiosity.”

Jongin just smiled at the shorter man, breathing out heavily, before replying.

“An examination. If the physician finds the witch’s mark then they are quick to end the trial and sentence to death. If they’re still hesitating they will turn to other means such as torture until the accused admits. If not that, they will search the accused’s home for signs of witchcraft – puppets, gems. Just signs.”

“You say ‘ _they’_ , as if you aren’t one of them.”

Jongin froze in his place at the quiet words. He looked up just in time to see Kyungsoo leaning forward with a small smile, resting a hand on his leg. The touch sent a shiver up his spine.

“I know you don’t agree with the rest of the council’s decisions, Jongin. But the other people in town don’t know that. They think you defending Seulgi was a doing of all the selectmen.”

“Does it matter?” Jongin asked, more than aware of Kyungsoo’s hand still resting calmly on his leg. “The town has been doing better these days. The people have forgotten about these horrors for a while.”

“But they will remember eventually, and when they do, the council will be the first one they’ll accuse.” Kyungsoo’s smile was small and measured. “I’m just afraid that someone will try hurting you.”

Jongin’s breath hitched when the other man’s hand slid up his thigh. He looked at Kyungsoo warily.

“In the times we’re living in, Kyungsoo, people should be afraid for themselves first.”

“I cannot help it.”

Jongin couldn’t move back in his chair when Kyungsoo’s hand slid up even higher. Jongin was dangerously aware of the harder touch when Kyungsoo’s hand ran over the front of his pants.

“What are you doing?”

“Should I stop?”

Kyungsoo was looking up to him with wide doe eyes and soft lips parted slightly. Jongin had never paid as much attention to his soft features as he did now – the deep brown eyes and the heart shape of his lips. The light arch of his full eyebrows as he waited for an answer. Jongin felt a lump in his throat.

“This is wrong.”

“Don’t you like it?”

“I-…I didn’t say that. I just said it’s wrong.”

Jongin breathed out when Kyungsoo finally pulled his hand back.

He froze again when Kyungsoo intead stood up and grabbed the armrests on his chair and leaned closer over him. Closer than he had ever been. He was smiling faintly.

“Who said it’s wrong?”

Jongin had to blink a few times to gather his thoughts. To try and not think about the faint, sweet fragrance coming from Kyungsoo’s hair. To not think about his face being so close to his own.

“Suho says-…The reverend says…God always sees us.”

“With all due respect, Mr. Kim,” Kyugnsoo’s chuckle was a tad louder, but still eerie. “What is God to a non-believer?”

“Kyungsoo,” Jongin said quietly. “You can’t just mindlessly speak bold words like that in such times. Especially not in this town. You have to be careful who you say things like this to.”

“Oh, but I’ve only said this to you,” Kyungsoo blinked at him, Jongin flinching lightly when the man’s arm found its way to his shoulder. “Will you tell the other selectmen I did?”

Jongin’s eyes travelled back up to lock with Kyungsoo’s.

To get lost in that deepness he had never taken note of before.

Do Kyungsoo, the quiet man who only served happiness and smiles to people.

Do Kyungsoo, the intelligent man he could speak to about everything.

Do Kyungsoo, who was the only man he had ever met to openly admit that, very much like him, he didn’t believe in any of this.

Jongin just shook his head. There was no way he would tell the others about this. Some things were just meant to stay private.

Do Kyungsoo’s smile turned into a little smirk, before he inched closer and closer until there was no space left between them.

* * *

Jongin didn’t know how it happened but he found himself lying down on the large bed in the chambers Kyungsoo led him to. The light, cold breeze coming in through the open balcony and reaching his exposed skin making him shiver.

Kyungsoo was sitting over him, skin like porcelain – white and perfect. Jongin hesitantly reached out, drawn. Just before his fingers reached the soft skin of the other one, though, he hesitated and looked back up to the full lips and deep eyes.

“Don’t be afraid, Jongin.” Kyungsoo’s voice was quiet and raspy and Jongin just blinked when the older man wrapped a hand around his wrist, finally bringing his fingers to his waist.

“I just…I don’t know what to do.”

“Whatever you want,” Kyungsoo’s breath tickled his skin when the man leaned down, pressing his lips against his. Jongin’s mind was all over the place. Kyungsoo pulled back from the kiss for a moment. “You just need to touch.”

When Kyungsoo leaned back down to kiss him again, Jongin found the courage to finally move his hands. From Kyungsoo’s waist, sliding down on his smooth thighs, feeling the other’s warmth underneath his fingertips.

Jongin froze again momentarily when Kyungsoo’s hands travelled down his naked chest and down after the hem of his pants. Palming his crotch through the fabric. He felt a shudder running through his body at the friction. Kyungsoo looked at him briefly before repeating that, sending another wave of pleasure through Jongin’s body. He felt his fingers digging into the older man’s thighs.

Felt his heart skipping a beat at the following wave of pleasure when Kyungsoo pressed his own crotch against his, the hand sliding back up his front to hold onto his shoulder tightly.

Jongin felt his breath getting shattered as Kyungsoo picked up the pace, as his lips moved away from his and as the shallow breaths turned into quiet moans filling the silence of the room.

He could feel Kyungsoo’s hand slowly tugging on his pants, pulling them down. It was that moment when he craned his neck. Kyungsoo looked at him from under his thick eyelashes. The younger only breathed out hesitantly.

“I have never done this before,” Jongin uttered, feeling the old beliefs in him crumbling. “Not with a man. I don’t know what to-“

Kyungsoo silenced him with a kiss.

“I’ll teach you.”

Jongin couldn’t fight that. Not when Kyungsoo dipped his head again and started leaving a burning trace of kisses down his neck. When the older man pulled his legs away to slide lower on Jongin’s body, all the younger could do was grab the sheets and hold onto them as tightly as he could. He felt like letting go would also mean letting go of his sanity.

His sanity, which apparently had flown out the window long ago.

He didn’t have the time to ponder on hos wrong this way, on how sinful it was. Kyungsoo wasn’t leaving time for such thoughts with the expert way his lips were sliding down his chest, nibbling lightly at the skin.

Jongin’s breathing became more rapid when Kyungsoo’s hot breath ghosted over his already hard cock, eyes shooting up in an unspoken question. When Jongin just blinked quickly, Kyungsoo smiled and the younger hissed when there was finally a small hand wrapped around his throbbing length, guiding it to the shorter man’s mouth.

Jongin threw his head back in pleasure at the heat that engulfed him, the wetness that caressed his sensitive skin. Kyungsoo was bobbing his head up and down, taking a bit more of him every time he sunk back down. Jongin groaned when he felt the other man using his tongue, pressing it against his slit. There was a ghostly giggle that vibrated against his dick when he did so, only intensifying the pleasure from everything.

Kyungsoo was good at this. Way too good, Jongin realized when a shallow moan unwillingly escaped his throat.

He looked down and the man’s lips were red, covered in spit. His hair was messed up. His body moving with every bob, the sounds filling the quiet of the room, it was too much for Jongin to handle. He was feeling a bubbling feeling in the pit of his stomach, dangerously close.

The grip he had on the sheets tightened even more. Kyungsoo was really, really good at this.

Jongin hissed when Kyungsoo slid off his length, the coolness of the air surprising him.

He looked up as the shorter man wiped his lips with the back of his hands. His eyes were hooded and there was a certain look in them that would have been enough to bring Jongin over the edge.

“I want you to finish inside me.”

Jongin stopped breathing for a second when Kyungsoo reached over him towards the little table on the side of the bed, grabbing a little jar and dipping his fingers inside. Jongin just stared on as Kyungsoo brought his own hand behind himself before dipping down to connect their lips again.

He didn’t have to be an idiot to put two and two together. Kyungsoo’s twisted body and the way he was letting out quiet moans slip past his lips in between the kisses.

Jongin might have never been with a man before but it wasn’t hard to figure out how this thing worked exactly. Not when Kyungsoo finally pushed him back down and straddled his hips.

When he picked up his little jar and poured some of that substance on his hands again, bringing them down to Jongin’s cock, lathering it with it.

“Stay still for a minute, will you?” Kyungsoo whispered, lips brushing at the corner of Jongin’s as he raised his hips. Jongin hissed when Kyungsoo’s hand guided his cock to his entrance, pushing down. Jongin couldn’t say anything when Kyungsoo started sinking down his length with his body, the only thing filling the room their heavy breathing. When he looked up, the man was biting at his lower lip.

Jongin was out of his right mind, all he could think about the arousal pumping through his veins, the tightness of Do Kyungsoo around him. The two little hands that rested on his shoulders when Jongin was all the way in. Kyungsoo was still biting on his lower lip, eyes shut tightly. Jongin watched him, a wave of worry washing over him at the expression of the older man.

However, when Kyungsoo slowly opened his eyes and his fingers squeezed his shoulders briefly, when he raised his hips and then brought them back down on Jongin’s length, all the younger oculd do was shut his own eyes and contain the moan.

Kyugnsoo was so tight around him, so hot. So good.

And he did that again. And again. Picking up his pace slowly.

“Good?” the older one asked breathily and Jongin didn’t have the strength to reply. Instead, his hands snaked around Kyungsoo’s waist, helping him move up and down.

“Can I move?” Jongin asked inbetween shallow breaths. He looked as Kyungsoo shone him a little smile.

“Please do.”

So he did. When Kyungsoo brought his hips down Jongin met them with his own, thrusting up. His lips twitched into a smirk when Kyungsoo’s loud gasp filled the room.

When he did it again and Kyungsoo’s body fell forward, hands clinging onto his shoulders for dear life.

When he did it again and curses spilled from Kyungsoo’s lips along with the soft moans.

Jongin didn’t stop moving, the heat of Kyungsoo around him simply maddening. He brought the other one’s face down to seal their lips together to stop himself from cursing in pleasure.

Kyungsoo moved on top of him, rolling around. Jongin took that as a cue to move as well, changing their position.

The shorter man wrapped his legs around Jongin’s waist when he was pressed down onto the bed.

The new angle allowed Jongin to sink deeper into Kyungsoo. To elicit louder moans and softer groans. To feel the other one’s fingers digging into his back, nails scraping the skin.

Jongin smirked into Kyungsoo’s neck as he kept thrusting. It meant he was doing something right.

Meant he was doing something really right when Kyungsoo cried out in pleasure suddenly and screamed at Jongin to do that again.

When he kept on writhing under him when Jongin kept thrusting into that one spot.

Kyungsoo’s breathing was becoming rapid and shallow.

“ _Fuck_ , Jongin, I’m going to-“

The younger snapped his hips particularly hard just before Kyungsoo’s cum splattered on their chests in thick, long spurts. The older man’s moans were sweeter and louder in those few moments of utter pleasure. His back arched off the bed, walls squeezing Jongin tighter.

The younger didn’t last much longer himself. After a few more thrusts the bubbles in the pit of his stomach burst and he came inside Kyungsoo. The last few thrusts as he rode on the bliss of his orgasm were slower, but deeper. Kyungsoo’s fingers dug into his skin again, as he pulled him down.

As Jongin kissed him on the lips again, mind still dizzy from the overwhelming pleasure. He carefully let himself be pulled over Kyungsoo’s body.

They stayed like this for a while, panting, chests heaving up and down. Jongin had no thoughts on his mind.

Nothing, but the soft lips of Kyungsoo playing with his earlobe, the gentle fingers tracing light patters over his chest.

“We have to get up,” Kyungsoo said quietly eventually, voice hoarse, and Jongin’s eyes snapped open. “Baekhyun and Seulgi will probably be back soon.”

Jongin nodded, running his tongue over his dry lips.

The realization of what had just happened dawning upon him. He looked to the side, to Kyungsoo’s small, round face. To those deep eyes and the puffy lips stretched into the smallest of smiles.

His hair was messy and there was sweat glistening on his forehead.

He had never looked more alluring, Jongin thought to himself, heart skipping a beat.

“No one…no one should find out about this.” He said quietly. He didn’t want to think what the people would do if they found out.

What they had just done was against the church’s beliefs. Against the laws of this town and against the laws of the holy book. At least according to the reverend.

Kyungsoo just smiled, pushing himself up to connect their lips for one quick, last kiss.

“No one will know. Come on.”

* * *

On the very next morning when the council announced an emergency meeting he walked all the way to the hall trying to convince himself that there wasn’t a way they could have found about him and Kyungsoo last night. He was walking, trying t convince himself that this wasn’t the case.

However, with every following step, his heart was sinking lower and lower, until he did reach the hall and hesitated at the door.

“You’re late, Jongin!” Yifan mused when he finally stepped in, giving him a look. “Take a seat, quickly. We have a lot to discuss today.”

Jongin’s heart kind of relaxed when no one paid much attention to him being late. When he sat down in his spot next to Sehun.

“What’s this meeting about?” he asked, looking around. The members of the founding families were here. The reverend. The magistrate and even the physician. Jongin’s jaw tightened, before he even got a reply. If all these people were here it meant only one thing. “A witch trial?”

“There will be no trial,” Yifan said coolly. “Yixing has found the mark on her body. Our men have found the casting stones hidden in her house. She is to be executed tomorrow.”

Jongin finally looked down to the papers. The name rang no bells.

That didn’t mean, however, that his fingers didn’t tighten around the parchment tightly.

Just when he had started to think the end of this tragedy was nearing, it was starting all over again.

And this time, he couldn’t even say anything. Not when the council had found evidence.

He just breathed out tiredly and leaned back in the chair, looking up to the head of the selectmen as he started the meeting.

* * *

“You’ve been avoiding me.”

The voice startled him. Jongin couldn’t hide the flinch when Kyungsoo appeared next to him out of nowhere. The robe he was wearing today was dark red, a color that Jongin saw and was immediately reminded of that night. He felt heat in his entire body.

“I haven’t been avoiding you,” Jongin said quietly, eyes darting back to the fruit on the stand in front of himself. “I have been very busy these days.”

“I saw.” Kyungsoo said. “Well, heard. I don’t think I can witness the burnings.”

“It is not a pleasant sight.”

“So I hear.”

Jongin blinked again when he turned and discovered that Kyungsoo had started walking away. He quickly turned to the woman behind the stand, tossing a coin for the food he had picked up, before running after the man. For the first time the shorter one was walking this quickly, without even sparing him a look. Jongin frowned.

“I haven’t been avoiding you, Kyungsoo.” He whispered quietly as he started walking down the street with the other man. His lips twisted in a grimace. “OK, maybe I have, a bit…but I was confused, alright? I don’t know what will happen and-“

“You don’t have to know what will happen.” Kyungsoo looked at him finally and Jongin was taken aback by the playful smile on the elder’s lips. “Isn’t that the exciting thing about life? You never really know what will happen.”

“I prefer knowing.”

“Then you prefer not living at all.” Kyungsoo stopped walking, turning toward JOngin. “Or you prefer living a boring life.”

“I prefer living a _safe_ life.” Jongin corrected, looking around before lowering his voice even more. “What we did was wrong-“

“Well _now_ you’re hurting my feelings.”

“It was wrong, but it was good.” Jongin hurried to finish before Kyungsoo could walk away. His voice was merely a whisper. “I still don’t know what will happen, but-…”

“But?”

Jongin looked around quietly, making sure no one was paying much min to them standing in the middle of the street.

“I don’t want you to think I didn’t like that or-…or you.” Jongin shook his head in his own moment of confusion. “Let me make it up to you.”

“How?”

Jongin’s eyes locked with Kyungsoo’s. There was a twinkle in the brown orbs of the shorter man.

“In any way you want me to.”

* * *

Jongin was glad he had sent away the maids to the market.

Because the sinful sounds that had escaped Kyungsoo’s lips that night were so loud they could have probably been heard even on the lower floor.

But now, with Kyungsoo lying next to him, sweaty bodies brought together, cum stains on his stomach and heavy breathing, all Jongin could think about was the trouble he was in.

If anybody found out about them, both of them would be killed. Jongin’s hand tightened around Kyungsoo’s narrow shoulders at the thought.

“Were you really busy this week or did you just say that because you didn’t want me to know you were running away from me?”

Jongin’s lips shifted up in a small smile, before he breathed out heavily.

“I wish. I really was busy.”

“How many?”

Jongin’s heart felt dull as he stared up to the ceiling.

“One burned. There are three in the prison, waiting for a trial.”

Kyungsoo’s fingers dug into his skin momentarily, before his hand relaxed again against his chest. Jongin’s entire body was tense and Kyungsoo must have felt it because he raised a hand up to pull his face to the side. Their eyes locked for a couple moments, before Kyungsoo spoke up.

“Don’t blame yourself. You couldn’t have done anything.”

Jongin knew that. He couldn’t have. Because the council had proof and they wouldn’t hear anything else. Because if he tried speaking up for another woman even more people would look at him accusingly. Because then he would risk getting the attention of himself when the last thing he wanted was people prying on him.

He let out a shaky breath.

“Do you want me to make you forget?”

Kyungsoo’s arm suggestively slid down his chest, over his abs. South, south, before reaching-

“ _Yes_.”

* * *

“It must be that goddamn wench!” an angry voice resounded in the council hall. “That witch hiding in the Do house. She must be the one whispering to all these girls, turning them impure and changing their ways.”

Jongin felt himself rising in his seat the moment that man spoke.

“I will not listen to such nonsense!” he raised his voice. “She is no witch and that was already made clear enough.”

“Then what is the explanation behind all this horror?! There must be a stronger witch, making them do all these things. The butcher cutting himself. The goldsmith burning his leg. Those two kids drowning in the rivers.”

“Maybe it was accidents!” Jongin slammed his hands down on the round table. “Has it never crossed your shallow, little brains that all these things might have been accidents?! That not everything unfortunate that happens in this town is the doing of a witch?!”

“Sit back down, Jongin.”

He stared to the central spot on the table, to Yifan giving him a hard look. He just clenched his jaw, sitting back down.

“Magistrate? What do you have to say about this?”

Jongin’s eyes flashed towards Chanyeol. He looked at him briefly, before clearing his throat.

“I do believe Jongin might be right. At this point we might as well kill every woman and girl in our town.”

“You have known Seulgi, haven’t you?” Yifan’s voice was cold and the intention behind the words was clear. Chanyeol leaned back in his chair without replying, as the hard stare of the head of the council landed on the man sitting next to him. “Reverend? What do you think we should do next?”

Jongin stared at Suho. He wasn’t a strong man, but in a town as messed up as theirs, where the church was above everything, his word was the heaviest.

“I think we should stay calm,” he said quietly. “I think we shouldn’t be rash with the judgement. We will examine those girls again. If any of them has a mark then we will also examine Seulgi again. Maybe we have missed something last time.”

Jongin felt like the air had been knocked out of his chest.

He just stared back when Yifan and a few others from the selectmen glanced at him.

He knew what this meant. If they found even one of those women guilty, then Seulgi would be called back in. And the council wouldn’t give her another chance.

They never did.

* * *

“Hello, Mr. Ki-“

Jongin stormed past Baekhyun as soon as he opened the door for Kyungsoo’s house. He hurried to shut the door and to grab the servant by the wrist and drag him inside into the familiar living room. Kyungsoo was sitting there and he was laughing with the young girl inf rotn of him. They seemed to have been playing games.

“Oh,” Kyungsoo mused when he saw them entering. When his eyes slowly darkened at the look on Jongin’s face. He pushed his chair back and stood up, approaching him

Jongin let go of Baekhyun’s hand, looking around frantically, trying to collect his thoughts. Trying to calm don his breathing.

“Jongin?”

Kyungsoo didn’t seem to care that Seulgi and Baekhyun were in the room. Neither did Jongin, because when Kyungsoo reached out to cup Jognin’s cheeks, the younger didn’t even flinch. He just stared at Kyungsoo’s eyes for a few moments.

“It’s getting worse.” He barely croaked out. “This town is going to hell.”

“Talk to me.”

Jongin just closed his eyes, raising a hand to grab Kyungsoo’s fingers and pull them down from his face. He didn’t let go of his hands, but just directed his gaze towards the girl sitting at the table.

“There are two trials. If even one of them turns out to be a witch, they’ll come back for Seulgi tomorrow…they think it’s her causing all this-…all this-“

Jongin pursed his lips as Seulgi’s eyes slowly widened. As Kyungsoo’s fingers tightened around his hand.

“Alright, alright…” Kyugnsoo whispered quietly first, looking up. “Baekhyun?”

Jongin looked to the corner where the servant had been standing with a serious look on his usually smiley face. He was staring at Kyungsoo and all he did was soundlessly nod before walking up to Seulgi, offering a hand for her to grab before standing up. And then he was leading her out of the room.

“What’s he doing? Where is he bringing h-“

“Don’t worry.” Kyungsoo whispered quietly, fingers once again tightening around Jongin’s hand. “I won’t let anyone harm her.”

* * *

“I am sorry, Mr. Wu,” Kyungsoo’s voice carried out quietly throughout the council hall. “As I said, I only know Seulgi has already left my humble home and the town, a few moons ago. I cannot help you any further.”

“I can see that.”

Jongin tried his best to remain expressionless as the selectmen started talking over one another as well. Some of them complaining loudly that she had slipped away.

“Excuse me for my boldness, gentlemen,” Kyungsoo spoke up again, the emerald robe hanging heavily from his shoulders, as he turned. All eyes were on him as he spoke up again. “Isn’t it a good thing she left?”

“Excuse me?!”

“If she really was a witch, and she fled, then isn’t it a good thing she isn’t in our town anymore?” 

Jongin threw a wary glance at Kyungsoo. Then back at the head of the table. Yifan was staring at Kyungsoo with narrowed eyes, before turning to Chanyeol.

“Magistrate?”

“Mr. Do has a point,” the tall man said solemnly, eyes flashing towards Jongin quickly. He pretended he didn’t see. “If she is gone then we are one witch down. Last time I attended our meetings, that was a good thing.”

There was chaos in the council hall, some were unhappy with this statement. Others seemed to agree.

Jongin watched as Kyungsoo headed out of the hall after he was excused. As he looked up to him for milliseconds, winking. Jongin thought for a moment he had imagined, but Kyungsoo’s little smirk told otherwise. He breathed out.

He didn’t know where Seulgi was, but she was far, far away from this wretched place. She was safe.

Yifan brought his hand down on the table to bring attention back to himself. All the talking in the hall died out as all eyes turned to look at the head of the council.

“The two in the prison will burn before sundown. Get the square ready and call the reverend.”

Jongin simply breathed out.

* * *

The more time passed, the more Jongin learned.

He learned just what places to touch to have Kyungsoo squirming under his fingers.

He learned just what words to whisper in the other’s ear to work him up.

He learned just what angles to snap his hips at to have Kyungsoo gasping for air and begging for more.

Jongin didn’t know how many times they had done this already. He had lost count at this point. He just knew that the more it happened, the sweeter it was, the longer it lasted, the better it felt.

He knew that this was wrong. It was like an addiction. Like he was obsessed with Kyungsoo and his deep sensual eyes, with his soft, sinful lips, the perfectly soft skin.

When he wasn’t around him, he was craving for his touch, daydreaming of his little warm body pressed against his.

The more time passed, Jongin started realizing that Do Kyungsoo was becoming so much more than just the man from town with the happy smile and the warm heart.

To Jongin, Kyungsoo was power. Pleasure. Pain.

Kyungsoo was becoming his biggest weakness in times when he wasn’t supposed to have any weakness.

The only person he could look at without a single trace of doubt in his eyes.

The only person he could talk to without fear of being judged.

The only person he could trust.

Jongin was starting to depend on him and by the time he became aware of that he didn’t even think it was that bad of a thing anyways.

He felt like he was becoming stronger ever since he let himself be free with Kyungsoo.

He only had one fear and it was getting caught.

He wasn’t afraid of dying, though. He wasn’t afraid of being accused, of being called a sinner or whatnot.

He was only afraid of losing Kyungsoo.

* * *

“So, how’s the business going?”

“As good as any business could be in a dying town.”

Jongin tapped his fingers on the counter. He wasn’t surprised at the reply of Jongdae. The owner of the tavern simply sighed out heavily, before smiling.

“I’m doing fine compared to others. I mean, alcohol’s the one way to deal with all the other problems so this place is still up and going strong.”

“I’m sorry, Jongdae,” the younger one sighed out into the cup of strong whiskey. “I wish I could do something to help. Not just you. Everyone.”

“I wish you could, as well, Jongin.” The owner of the tavern smiled at him, a bit more cheerfully. “It’s good to know that we still do have someone with their heart in the right place in that big ol’ council of idiots.”

Jongin’s smile was vague and small as he tipped the glass back and the liquid travelled down his throat.

There had been another burning today. Thirty people. In the span of one year. Thirty women were gone, killed, just because stupid people and their superstitions and beliefs.

_People were weak_ , Jongin thought to himself while drinking to dull some of the pain away. To get rid of the nasty smell burning his nostrils. People were weak and they would believe anything just to feel safer. To feel stronger. To feel like they had the upper hand.

A bunch of idiots, Jongin sighed out. He vaguely wondered if the other towns were like this, the bigger ones. Where not everybody knew each other by first name and where people were progressing.

He wondered what life was like there.

Wondered what his life would have been like if he wasn’t stuck to this place because of his name and family.

Without even realizing, his thoughts drifted to Kyungsoo. To life outside of this wicked town with Kyungsoo. Only with Kyungsoo. _His_ Kyungsoo.

A life where he wouldn’t have to hide all his thoughts and actions.

He vaguely wondered what it would be like to be free.

* * *

“A good day for a walk, no?”

JOngin closed his eyes for a brief moment before turning around with the fakest of smiles. Yifan was standing tall in front of him. The reverend was by his side, hands brought behind his back as he smiled at him.

“Yifan. Suho.” Jongin dipped his head lightly to greet them. “Fancy seeing you out here.”

“The day _is_ good for a walk.” Yifan smiled, spreading his hand out. “Want to join us?”

Jongin didn’t feel like he even had an option when the other two men started walking. He contained the sigh before following after them.

Wherever they passed, people were greeting them. It wasn’t every day that three members of the council were out in the open together just like that.

Some were looking up with fear in their eyes. Jongin’s heart shattered at the sight of a man quickly rushing his daughter back inside the house upon seeing them approach.

People were savages in this town. They would point a finger at anyone just to save themselves.

People were also hypocrites. Because when the council wasn’t doing anything about the witches they were accusing, there were uproars and angry mobs.

But now, after all these deaths, they were looking at the council and all they could see was the people with power in this town. The ones who ultimately decided the fate of everyone.

And Jongin hated being associated with that. He hated to be one of those men who were responsible for all the tragedies happening.

“I’ve seen you leave Mr. Do’s house a few times lately, Jongin.”

He was brought, literally dragged out of his thoughts at the mention of Kyungsoo. He didn’t like that they were bringing him up.

“I have.”

“You have been spending quite some time with him, no? Why is that?”

He felt his aw tightening, as he looked up and saw Yifan looking at him. A careful glance in his eyes.

“Mr. Do has one of the biggest libraries in this town.” Jongin uttered the words as calmly as he could. It wasn’t a lie. The library in Kyungsoo’s house was no joke. Not the main reason Jongin had been spending so much time there, though. “I have been going by his house to borrow books. He has some very interesting reads.”

“What kinds of reads?” the reverend asked, blunt interest on his features. Jongin knew Suho was a person who loved reading. For the first time in a while, he was reminded of the man’s goodness, despite his stupid will and beliefs.

“All kinds of reads,” Jongin smiled, raising his eyebrows. “Mr. Do is a very intelligent man. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind lending some books to you, as well.”

Suho’s smile was genuine as they continued walking. As genuine as his smile was also Yifan’s scowl when he looked down at Jongin.

“Just be careful,” he said quietly, quite coolly. “That man has spent a lot of moons housing a witch. You never know what she might have done to him.”

Jongin had to look away to stop himself from snapping something he would later regret. Instead, he too a few seconds to compose himself, bringing his hands behind his back.

“Thank you for your concern,” Jongin ended up saying blankly. “I will keep that in mind.”

* * *

Kyungsoo’s lips were soft and comforting, leaving burning traces behind as they moved over his skin.

He was sucking on his neck, teeth scraping over the flesh. Biting. Sometimes a tad too hard, but Jongin liked that. He liked being reminded that this was also real. Not only the horrors outside their home, but also this – every moment he spent with Kyungsoo.

“Come here,” Jongin whispered quietly and waited for Kyungsoo to crawl back up. To bring a hand up behind his head and to bury his fingers in the thick, black hair. To pull him closer and push their lips together. His other hair snaked around Kyungsoo’s naked waist, pulling their bodies closer together, feeling the other against him.

When they pulled apart to catch some breaths, Jongin pushed Kyungsoo back on the bed. The shorter one smiled when Jongin hovered over him. He wrapped a leg around his waist and giggled when Jongin’s breath ghosted over the skin his chest.

Jongin smiled into Kyungsoo’s skin when the older man underneath him groaned in pleasure when Jongin’s lips found their way to the little nub on his chest, fingers playing with the other one. When he flicked his tongue and scraped his teeth over it lightly, eliciting a series of quiet gasps.

His lips continued their track. Leaving sloppy kisses down Kyungsoo’s chest and stomach. Over his hipbone. A hand moved to pull his thigh up, so the kisses moved down the smooth, soft skin of his leg as well. Kyungsoo’s quiet moans had turned into impatient mewls.

“Hurry up already!”

Jongin lightly bit on Kyungsoo’s thigh, just enough to surprise him, the other one almost crushing his head between his knees when he did so. Jongin just laughed quietly, raising his head up.

The look on Kyungsoo’s face was pure perfection – his cheeks were red and his lips were parted and wet. His eyes were hooded.

And it was about to get even better.

Jongin quickly poured some of the aromatic oils on his fingers, before sinking back down between Kyungsoo’s legs.

He could see how worked up Kyungsoo was already. How he almost angrily, desperately looked down when Jongin’s fingers only danced around his skin on his thigh. When they got close to his entrance, efore retreating.

“Jongin,” Kyungsoo whined quietly when Jongin leaned back down to kiss Kyungsoo’s skin. “Jongin, please…”

“ _Mm_ ,” the younger whispered into Kyungsoo’s abdomen. “I like it when you beg.”

Kyungsoo whimpered again when Jongin moved his head closer to his hard length and licked the underside of it. When he took the tip of it in his mouth and sucked on it lightly. Just enough to drive the other one crazy.

“Please….please, _please_ , do something…”

Jongin smiled against Kyungsoo’s skin. He had played around enough.

He used one hand to pull Kyungsoo’s leg around his waist, the other he finally moved south.

Kyungsoo sighed out in his ear when he traced a finger around his rim. He heard him sucking in breath sharply when the finger intruded him suddenly.

Kyungsoo wrapped his hands around Jongin’s shoulder when he started moving that finger in an out quickly, when he started setting a pace. When the first finger was joined by a second one suddenly and Kyungsoo’s leg twitched against his waist.

He was still quite loose from last night. It hadn’t even been a full day since they had last done this. Since they had last been together.

When Jongin added a third finger and started stretching them out in Kyungsoo’s heat, he felt the older man’s fists balling against his back, as he pulled him closer. Nose brushing against his cheek, lips leaving butterfly kisses on his jawline.

“I want you, Jongin,” Kyungsoo whispered quietly in his ear, the words sending shivers down the youngers spine. “ _Please_.”

Jongin felt a shock run through his entire body as his lips pulled in a smile and he captured Kyungsoo’s lips between his, pulling his hands back.

No matter what he had been raised to believe in, no matter what people were saying about this sort of stuff, no matter how wrong it was in everyone’s eyes, to Jongin it was all sorts of right.

When he felt Kyungsoo’s tight heat engulfing him, when he heard the other one suck in breath sharply, when he felt his nails scraping his back.

So, so right. In every way.

When their bodies started moving together. When Kyungsoo pushed down to meet Jongin’s thrusts.

The only noises filling the room the lewd sound of skin slapping against skin and the quiet moans.

It was lasting, and it was sweet, and when Jongin felt his thrusts becoming faster and more erractic, he knew he was close. He reached a hand down inbetween their bodies to tug on Kyungsoo’s length.

To cause another loud moan to roll down the other’s tongue. To watch down as he screwed his eyes shut and his features twist into a mask of utter pleasure.

When a soft whisper of Jongin’s name escaped those plump, red lips and Kyungsoo’s cum covered Jognin’s hand he couldn’t control himself anymore.

His own release was strong and it took Jongin a few moments to come back from his high, before rolling down tiredly on the bed next to Kyungsoo. To lean down and place a soft kiss on the elder’s forehead.

“Thank you.”

“For?”

“For showing me this.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes were curious, maybe a bit playful as he stared up at Jongin.

“What? How homosexual people-“

“Don’t say that,” Jongin chuckled quietly, bringing a hand over Kyungsoo’s head to pull him closer, burying his face in the other’s hair. “Thank you for showing me something real.”

They were silent for a few more minutes, both of them still panting heavily.

“Jongin?” Kyungsoo whispered quietly, hand wrapping around Jongin’s arm. He just snuggled closer to him. “You know I love you, right?”

The younger felt his heart skipping a beat.

Such dangerous words.

It was in that moment that he realized that when Kyungsoo had become his weakness he had also become his.

He tightened his hug around the shorter man, breathing in deeply his sweet scent.

“I love you, too.”

* * *

It was a leisure morning and Jongin didn’t want to move. All he felt around himself was the warmness of Kyungsoo’s body tightly pressed against his.

However, he had to move away slowly, carefully. He had a meeting of the council soon and he had to be there. He didn’t want to give Yifan more reasons to throw suspicious looks at him.

He was just about to start buttoning up his shirt when he heard the commotion.

His eyes shot up when he heard the loud sounds from the lower floor of the house. When he looked in surprise to the bed where Kyungsoo had shifted awake because of the loud sounds.

Jongin felt his heart racing when he heard footsteps. When he threw a distressed look at Kyungsoo. There was no time to hide or run.

No time to do anything because in that same second the door opened loudly, banging against the wall.

Jongin felt all color draining from his face when he took in the sight.

When Yifan pushed a protesting Baekhyun to the ground. When he walked inside the room, followed by Suho, Chanyeol and a few more from the magistrate’s people. One of them was holding a woman. A woman Jongin recognized as one of his own maids.

He felt like the air around him wasn’t enough, when all these men looked from him to the bed where Kyungsoo had pulled up the blanket to cover up himself.

“Sodomy…” Suho barely whispered, looking back and forth, eyebrows knitting. “An abomination…the devil has whispered to them.”

“No devil has whispered here,” Yifan growled, eyes shining with fury. “It was all that witch’s doing. Seize him!”

“ _No!”_ Jongin protested when he saw two of the men lunging forward to grab hold of Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo, who was looking around with widened eyes and parted lips. Jongin was about to jump forward, try to pry their hands off the older man, but Chanyeol moved in front of him and took hold of his arm, pulling him back. His friend gave him a look.

“I told you something was rotten with this man,” Yifan hissed when he looked back at Kyungsoo with disgust in his eyes. When he approached him and took a fistful of his hair, yanking his head up. Jongin struggled against Chanyeol. “What did that witch do?! Did she make you eat or drink something?! Did she put something in you? Answer!”

“Leave him alone!” Jongin tried to move forward and Chanyeol waved at another form his men to move forward and help him keep Jongin in place. Kyungsoo was just standing there, staring up at Yifan with disdain in his doe eyes.

Jognin screamed when Yifan pulled on Kyungsoo’s hair again, when the shorter man’s features twisted in pain.

“I told you to speak, you dirty-“

“It wasn’t him!” Jongin screamed without even realizing what he was saying. Anything just to get them off Kyungsoo. “It wasn’t him, leave him alone.”

“It wasn’t him?” Yifan let go of Kyungsoo’s, taking a step towards him. “Then who was i-“

“It was me.”

Jongin felt the grip on his arms loosening a little as Chanyeol stared at him in shock. Suho’s brows knitting even deeper as he frowned at him from the door. As Yifan moved closer to him and a hand harshly grabbed him by the jaw. His eyes were staring right through his soul.

“Don’t talk nonsense, Jongin,” the head of the council uttered through gritted teeth. “You have been bewitched, you wouldn’t have done something like this out of you own free will-“

“It was me.” Jongin repeated, staring right back at Yifan. The older man looked at him coldly for a few seconds. A flash of a defeated look went through his face, before he moved back.

“Reverend, do we have any records on male witches?”

Suho looked reluctant when he spoke quietly.

“Not in our town but there are records from the north.”

Jongin felt his cheat heaving up and down. He threw a look at Kyungsoo, who just shook his head at him, a horrified expression on his face.

“Alright,” Yifan’s voice was quiet when he spoke up, motioning for the men in the back to let go of the maid. Jongin threw a dirty glance at her. He supposed she had been the one to tell them about this. “Let go of Mr. Do.”

Jongin breathed out when he saw the two men let go of Kyngsoo, who fell to the ground on his knees, the light blanket falling over him. He watched as Baekhyun crawled closer to his master, wrapping a hand around his shoulders and looking daringly at the selectmen. 

And then he looked up again to lock eyes with Yifan. Yifan, who just quietly sighed out in defeat.

“Go find Lay. We will be having a trial today.”

* * *

“It’s a _fucking_ hickey,” Jongin almost sneered. “A love bite.”

“It is a mark. A bite, at that.”

“If this sort of marks is what you have been judging people about, then it’s no wonder this town’s graveyard is bigger than our farming land.”

The physician just gave him a look, before turning to Suho, who was standing in the corner. Suho, who didn’t seem like he wanted to get closer.

“Thank you, Lay. You may leave now.”

Jongin just leaned his head back against the bed he had been sprawled on. He didn’t say anything as he heard Suho getting closer, holding the holy book in shaky fingers.

“Jongin…” the reverend spoke quietly. “Jongin, are you doing this to protect someone else?”

He didn’t reply. He just closed his eyes and kept thinking about the horror written all over Kyungsoo’s face earlier. The awful sight of him being yanked up against his will.

“Jongin, if you don’t answer, there isn’t any way I can help you.”

“Did you offer help to all the victims until now?” Jongin asked flatly, finally opening his eyes to look at Suho’s taken aback expression. “Are you offering help because you don’t want the people to think a witch managed to infiltrate one of the founding families? Or even worse, that a witch was one of the founders? What would the town’s people think if they knew they were being controlled by a witch all this time?”

Jongin sneered at the thought.

He was no witch. In his humble opinion, witches didn’t exist. It was all fiction. Made up illusions that people were keeping alive with their foolish and barbaric acts.

“I’m offering help because we were once friends. I have known you since you were a child and you-….you would have never-“

“I would have never fucked a man?” Jongin was probably out of his mind. Suho was staring at him with wide eyes. “You call it religion. I call it repression.”

“What has that thing done to you…” Suho’s fingers were trembling against the book in his hands as he stood up. “I’m giving you one last chance to tell me, Jongin…are you doing this to protect someone else?”

Jongin opened his eyes slowly to look at the man.

“It’s not like my answer will change anything.”  

Suho waited a few seconds, before he finally breathed out heavily and finally escaped the room.

Jongin closed his eyes and let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding in. His heart was wildly beating in his chest.

Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined he’d be in the position of the people he had been trying to protect.

Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined he’d be accused of being a witch.

And most certainly, never in his wildest dreams had he thought he’d be the one to accuse himself.

The thought made him chuckle lightly. Desperately.

The things people did for love.

* * *

“It all makes sense now!” someone screamed. “He was the one to save that bitch! Of course he is one of them!”

“We should have seen this coming sooner!” another voice joined in. “He had been the one behind everything!”

_“What if there are more of them in the council?!”; “We can’t trust the selectmen!”; “Even the people we had faith in turned against us.”_

Jongin didn’t like being dragged across the city like this. For the first time he realized that the pity and sorrow he had felt for all these women before was nothing compared to what they were going through.

All these vicious words directed at him, people trying to get closer to him and harm him.

He almost felt relief when they reached the prison and he was thrown inside on the dirty hey. Away from the crowded streets of the town and the judging looks of all the people.

All the pathetic people he had been protecting for so long.

What for? To be humiliated like this by them.

He breathed out heavily.

He wished Kyungsoo and Baekhyun had the common sense to flee the town tonight. He knew the council was lying when they said they’d leave him alone.

Maybe they wouldn’t accuse him of witchcraft, but he had done enough to earn himself a death sentence. One look of the bed they had found him in this morning was enough to sign that death sentence for him.

The lump in Jongin’s throat grew and he couldn’t help but lean back against the stone wall of the dirty prison cell.

It was already late but the people outside were still viciously screaming. Demanding.

And what they were demanding they’d get in the morning.

Jongin brought his knees under his chin, for the briefest of moment wondering just how much it hurt to be burned alive.

* * *

Naturally, he didn’t sleep. How could he?

The higher the moon got up in the sky, the less the people were shouting. They were returning to their homes at this hour, until there was no sound to be heard beside the quiet chirps of crickets in the distance.

He closed his eyes, remembering things.

Remembering the very time he walked around this town as a child, seeing his friend Suho with one of those heavy books in his arms. Asking him what he was reading. Suho, being older than him then, had proudly stated he was learning so he could be the reverend someday.

Remembering the day Chanyeol had risen to the post of the Magistrate after leaving the town for months to learn from others, coming back with letters with heavy seals and impressive wax on them.

Remembering all the people he had known since he was a child gathering in the hall one day, voting for their leader. Voting for the new head of selectmen and council when the town was passed onto them from their parents. Remembering how Yifan had won that vote unanimously.

Remembering the happy days of being a selectman. Walking around the town and happily helping people. Offering help and funds for the farms, helping women carry their baskets and buckets as children were running around.

Remembering the day he first saw Kyungsoo walking in the town. How intrigued he had been because this man, this stranger, he had never seen a man walk around with a robe like this thrown over his clothes. With a man as short as him trailing after him happily.

Remembering the day he first realized he admired Kyungsoo more than he was supposed to admire another man when he kept hiding at dark corners of the streets, looking at the man lovingly hand the children around fruit.

Remembering the day he secretly followed the man up the hills to see him reaching the apple trees in the valley by the woods.

The day it became one of his own favorite spots for walks.

He remembered everything with such intensity and color that he felt a wave of sadness wash over him when he opened his eyes and all he could see in front of himself were the metal bars of the cell, the dirty hey and the stone walls of the prison.

He had always known he wasn’t meant for a town as small as this. Being locked in here now proved he had been right.

“Jongin.”

His head snapped up at the sweet, quiet voice.

Kyungsoo was standing in front of his cell, the pitch black robe hanging from his shoulders. He raised a hand to wrap against one of the bars.

Jongin thought he was hallucinating. But then he looked closer. At the perfectly milky skin, the wide doe eyes filled with regret, the heart shaped lips twisted in a grimace.

He was on his feet before he even knew it.

“Kyungsoo.” He barely whispered. “What are you doing here?”

Jongin walked forward, wrapping his fingers around Kyungsoo’s on the metal bar of the cell. His fingers were warm, unlike the night.

“You should go.” Jongin whispered, because he was afraid his voice would break if he spoke louder. “You and Baekhyun. You should leave town immediately.”

“I can’t leave without you.”

Jongin’s heart broke a little, but he tightened his fingers around Kyungsoo’s. He was about to tell him to not be foolish. To hurry up and leave. But in the middle of his train thought, another thing popped in his mind.

“Kyungsoo, how did you get here?” he asked quietly. “The guards…the guards-“

“The guards are sleeping. They will be sleeping for a while.”

Jongin felt his hand sliding down, as his eyebrows knitted in confusion. Kyungsoo was looking at him calmly, the sad twinkle still apparent in his round eyes.

Jongin looked around. He realized the night had become silent. Way too silent.

Not even the crickets were to be heard.

He looked back towards Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo, who just looked at him with pursed lips.

And then he pushed the door of the prison cell.

Jongin was pretty sure at this point that he was hallucinating. That, or he was dreaming.

Because he had seen the guards lock these doors with at least three different keys.

And Kyungsoo now just pushed lightly and the door swung opened with a light creak.  

Jongin stepped back, looking up at the man who seemed like a mirage in front of him.

Kyungsoo raised a hand towards him. His eyes looked pleading.

“You are-...” Jongin’s voice was failing him as his eyes widened in realization. He took another step back and the look in Kyungsoo’s eyes become more broken. “You are-…”

“Kyungsoo.” The shorter man said quietly. “Just Kyungsoo.”

Jongin tripped in something and fell back. He kept moving backwards, head shaking. His eyes were jumping from Kyungsoo’s stretched out hand to the open door of the prison cell behind him. His eyes were shaking. It felt like the whole word was spinning.

“Please, Jongin.”

Jongin felt all sorts of emotions bursting inside his chest.

Betrayal. Hurt. Agony. Fright. Disbelief.

“You’ve been lying since the moment we met,” Jongin barely croaked out, something in him shattering. “Why should I trust you now?”

Kyungsoo’s hand was still stretched out, waiting for him to take it. His eyes still looked hurt. Even when he took a deep breath and tried his best to smile.

“You trusted me yesterday, Jongin.” He spoke quietly. “Trust me now. I’m still the same person.”

* * *

“What about Baekhyun?” Jongin asked when Kyungsoo kept walking with him forward. Way too calmly, but there was no sound outside. No people out on the street. No animal noises. No gush of wind. Nothing. It seemed like the world had stopped spinning around.

“What about him?”

“Is he a-….is he-….is he like you too?”

Kyungsoo's nod was brief and it was more meaningfulthan anything he could have said.

“What about all the people…all the people killed for witchcraft-“

“Some were. Most weren’t.”

Jongin felt another wave of pain washing over him.

Another painful clench of his heart when he looked up and looked at Kyungsoo. He seemed to be glowing under the moonlight. A white mirage, clad in black.

How could something as pure looking as him be the thing they had been looking for all along?

And most importantly, how hadn’t Jongin noticed?

For someone who claimed to be intelligent, Jongin surely was a complete idiot.

But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Suddenly moving into their town without anyone knowing anything about his background. The wealth, the riches. The absence every time there was a burning at the stake. All the questions he had been asking, all the things he had said.

“How could you do this to me?” Jongin spoke quietly, almost inaudibly. Had there been any other sound Kyungsoo probably wouldn’t have heard him. He wouldn’t have stopped in his tracks.

He wouldn’t have turned around with a tired expression on his face. Tired. So tired.

“What do you want me to say, Jongin?” he sighed out. “When the entire town was hunting witches, when everybody was set on killing them, did you expect me to step forward and give myself in?”

“I expected you to not lie to me.”

“When I met you, Jongin, I knew you were special.” Kyungsoo whispered. “You never believed any of this. You only saw the good and I…I believed your words would make a change. I believed someone would listen to you. But those people were already far beyond the point of reasoning…there was no point in even trying. So I stayed low, and I tried to help people. I tried to spread some happiness in this dull life. It didn’t work.”

Jongin bit on the inside of his cheek. Kyungsoo gave him a look before continuing.

“And then you came again. And you were closer than ever and I just couldn’t help it.”  The shorter man let out a chuckle. Or maybe a sob. Jongin wasn’t sure. “You are special. You always were. At least to me. I was afraid that you’d leave if I told you the truth.”

Jongin only bit on his cheek harder. Kyungsoo’s eyes were pleading again.

“Am I a witch? Yes. But does that make me any less of a human? No.” Kyungsoo breathed out shakily. “I loved you before and I love you now. I just wish you wouldn’t see me as anything else, but Kyungsoo. Just Kyungsoo.”

Jongin stood silent for a few moments, before looking up.

“Was it you? Were you the one behind everything happening in the town?”

“What? No!” Kyungsoo looked distraught by the accusation. “Of course not. I tried helping the people get back up on their feet!”

“Why?”

“Because not all of us are bad, Jongin.” Kyungsoo stretched his hand out again and Jongin looked at it hesitantly. “I tried my best there, but it didn’t work. Let me at least protect you.”

Jongin looked up and he could see nothing but sincerity in those round eyes.

All the time he had spent with Kyungsoo, all the conversations and all the laughter, all the light touches and sensual kisses, all the things meant to be heard only by the other one.

_You know I love you, right?_

The words rang loud in Jongin’s head when he remembered that night.  

The words filled with honesty and emotion.

His eyes travelled back up to Kyungsoo’s. They were still pleading and loving. Nothing had changed.

He was, to him, just Kyungsoo. Always.

Jongin’s lip trembled a bit before he finally raised his hand to catch Kyungsoo’s. To tangle their fingers together and let the other one step closer to him.

To feel him close against himself. To feel his breath against his skin before their lips touched briefly in a small kiss. A kiss that seemed more like a promise than anything else.

When they pulled apart and Jongin finally looked up, he realized they had been at the valley this whole time. The apple trees were just ahead of them.

The darkness of the woods was even more intimidating in this silent night.

Jongin looked down as Kyungsoo started slowly pulling him up the hill. Up the hill, eyes set on the trees in front of them. Jongin could see nothing beyond that.

“Where are we going?”

Kyungsoo just looked up to him as they kept walking towards the woods. His fingers tightened around Jongin’s hand.

He smiled.

“Home.”

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> Fun little facts of the day:
> 
> 1\. Carpe diem is Latin for "Seize the day" , used to urge someone to make the most of the present time and give little thought to the future 
> 
> 2\. Apples are a symbol of knowledge and sin
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this mess of a fic.
> 
> Please let me know what you thought ^^ 


End file.
